Plan B parent company Mediawan acquires majority stake in OUR Films

Mediawan, the European parent company of Brad Pitt’s Plan B, is acquiring a majority stake in OUR Films, a new production and film financing company led by film and TV producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli.

Launched in 2024 and based in Rome, Our Films focuses on collaborating with established and emerging European, American and international filmmakers and talents in feature films, documentaries and series.

Mediawan, which has more than 80 affiliated production companies, has produced projects such as “Call My Agent”, “Three Body Problem”, “Bob Marley: One Love”, “Miraculous Ladybug”, “Rhythm and Flow France”, “The Agency”, “The Count of Montecristo”, “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”, “HIP/High Potential” and “One Day”.

The investment in OUR Films is part of the company’s strategy to create a truly pan-European studio with an ever-expanding presence. The studio now operates in 13 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the UK, with operations in Africa, Asia and the US.

“We are delighted to welcome Lorenzo and Mario, two of the industry’s most successful producers of internationally acclaimed films and series, who inspire us with their taste and modern creative edge,” Mediawan Group co-founder and CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton and Mediawan Pictures CEO Elisabeth d’Arvieu said in a statement. “Through OUR Films, we are furthering our ambition to bring together the best talent behind the best content worldwide.”

Meli, the former CEO of Fremantle Italia who created The Apartment Pictures in 2020, has produced films such as “The Hand of God”, Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All”, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope”.

In the meantime, Gianani has produced “La mafia uccide solo d’estate” directed by Pif, “The Eight Mountains” directed by Felix Von Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, the Italian blockbuster “There Is Still Tomorrow” directed by Paola Cortellesi and Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov: The Ballad”, co-produced with Mediawan’s Chapter 2.

Together, the two have worked on numerous productions, including HBO’s “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope,” both created by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino; Luca Guadagnino’s “We Are Who We Are,” also for HBO; and HBO’s “My Brilliant Friend,” directed by Saverio Costanzo and adapted from the best-selling novels written by Elena Ferrante and translated worldwide.

“We couldn’t be more excited to come together again under our new OUR Films banner and join forces with the brilliant and passionate Mediawan team,” the duo said in a statement. “Together, we are building a new creative hub to support the world’s best filmmakers as they tell bold and courageous stories that elevate our lives and the art form through shared cinematic excellence.”

“’OUR’ symbolizes our partnership with artists, as we stand with them to champion their vision and projects from inception to distribution,” Mieli and Gianani continued. “Through our efforts and financial resources, we commit to protecting and sharing with our creatives the control, empowerment and freedom necessary to preserve the integrity of their art. This is the mission of OUR Films.”

Looking ahead, Mieli will present three projects produced through The Apartment Pictures at this year’s Venice Film Festival: Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” based on the book by William Burroughs, starring Daniel Craig; Pablo Larrain’s “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie; and Joe Wright’s eight-episode miniseries “M,” about the life of Mussolini.

After presenting eight feature films in selection for a European producer at the Cannes Film Festival, Mediawan will also play a prominent role at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, opening it with Tim Burton and Plan B’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and presenting the world premiere of Jon Watts’ “Wolfs” starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

Mediawan also presents “And their children after them”, directed by Zoran and Ludovic Boukherma and produced by Chi Fou Mi and the Plan B documentaries “One to One: John & Yoko”, directed by Kevin Macdonald, and “Apocalypse in the Tropics”, directed by Petra Costa.